Qormi's Triq il-Marsa and a lane on Triq l-Imdina will remain closed for the summer as Water Services Corporation and Enemalta upgrade drainage systems and electrical grid networks. 

Triq il-Marsa, which runs along the Marsa golf course and a northbound lane in Triq L-Imdina, which lies beside the Ħandaq industrial estate, are both currently closed. 

The roads will reopen before children return to school in September, a spokesperson for the transport ministry said on Thuesday.

A Transport Malta spokesperson said the works were being carried out by Enemalta and the Water Service Corporation  

In a statement announcing the closures, Enemalta suggested alternative routes for motorists.

Those heading north from Luqa to Siġġiewi should use Triq ta’ Ħal Farruġ and Triq Imqabba, while those heading south, from Rabat to the airport, should take the Central Link route, it said. 

The works are being carried out to improve drainage and energy grid networks serving the Qormi, Żebbuġ and Marsa areas, Enemalta said. 

But the sudden closures prompted complaints from commuters, who complained about long traffic jams plaguing the area around the Pavi supermarket roundabout as a result. 

Readers spoke about being stuck in traffic for up to 40 minutes in the area, noting that a section of Triq il-Marsa leading to Triq l-Imdina has long been closed to southbound traffic.

Motorists were therefore taking a detour and driving from behind Pavi supermarket, along Triq l-Iljun, to access Triq il-Marsa. But on Wednesday southbound commuters discovered Triq l-Iljun was also closed to traffic.

One reader said that Triq it-Tiġrija, which also links Marsa to Qormi, was only allowing southbound traffic to reach the Centreparc shopping mall. 

Questions asking for more details were sent to Transport Malta and the Qormi mayor.